THE APPLIANCE of the new millennium

THE APPLIANCE of the new millennium

Oct 1, 2000 12:00 PM,
Nathaniel Hecht

Computers are now an integral part of our lives; of this, there is no argument. The interesting thing is that for most children, the computer has become just another appliance, similar to the refrigerator or washing machine, albeit more entertaining and potentially life enriching. Considering the computer's importance, it amazes me that the audio facilities on most of today's computers are of such an inferior quality.

Consider this parallel from entertainment electronics history. In the 1950s and 1960s, few considered television audio all that important, despite the advances in audio available in the local movie theater. Most people were so amazed at the combination of pictures and sound in the home that no one thought of hooking up the television's audio output to the home stereo. In many ways, we are at the same evolutionary crossroads with the computer. Most people suffer with loudspeakers that can best be called a compromise, and the cheapest possible sound card is often the norm. Although many good cards are available, the need for lower distortion and higher quality it is not yet widely understood.

It is the revolution in Internet audio that may be drawing attention to this area of inadequacy. The widespread use of MPEG-3 files was the catalyst that helped people see the inadequacy of their computer audio systems. As more and more people use the computer for entertainment, the demand for higher and higher quality audio will follow.

What about the computer as the control center for audio, automation and many other functions offered in the average professional A-V installation? The argument against using computers for audio and video processing has been based upon expense and reliability. With computers now being affordable and reliability issues dwindling, the only variable left seems to be software. We have evolved this far in our industry with mostly hardware solutions, finding reasons for the computer not to be included in the mix. We seem to be at a similar point with the use of computers in installations. DSP engines are now widely available from many manufacturers for loudspeaker system and routing control applications, but all we have to do is look at the development of computer tools in the creative audio and video production side of the industry to see where we might be heading. If anything, DSP engines are only the tip of the iceberg.

There are numerous platforms for processing audio and video available on the market, with different types of plug-in modules that emulate in software many different effects formerly available only in hardware form. Although many of these programs are expensive and require some hardware to interface with conventional computer systems, they are essentially complete production systems replicated on board level for use with conventional computer systems. Is it hard to envision a future where a computer is the center of all control and signal manipulation in a given installed system? There may always be such reasons for hardware solutions as safety issues and building code requirements for redundancy, but the conclusion that we are headed for a more computer-oriented industry in the installation side is inevitable. As a result, developing the skills needed to meet this need is vitally important if we are to maintain control of our market. Adapting to and becoming familiar with the installation processes and the software issues surrounding this computer-based future will, in many cases, make or break the future of contractors in our business.

It’s hard to believe so much has already been written about AV over IP (audio and video over Internet protocol, or AVoIP) with so little being said about why it is essential to the future of every AV integrator and integration business. With the industry focus on engineering and ...read more

Over the past two decades, virtually every piece of office technology that required separate cabling has moved onto the network; a convergence that has drastically simplified deployment and reduced costs. Audio and video distribution are the last remaining enterprise systems. ...read more

AV Technology is gauging the industry's perceptions of LED displays. End-users, integrators, and design partners are called upon to take this brief survey to weigh in on the state of LED display technology and the value it provides from installation to day-to-day operation. Click ...read more

Speaker phones, cellphones, and other mobile devices are far from high-quality solutions when it comes to teleconferencing systems. But even dedicated conference room microphone systems may offer poor performance and a less than satisfactory user experience. This white paper ...read more

To succeed in today’s fast-paced environments, organizations must harness the synergy of people working together across a global workforce—regardless of the physical location of those workers. To do that, AV professionals and end users must select the best new-generation audio ...read more

Size is not a determining factor when it comes to mission-critical control centers. Video walls can comprise just a few displays receiving feeds from only a dozen cameras, to hundreds of inputs streaming on 64 displays. As facilities scale in physical size or the scope and their ...read more

Since the laying of the foundation stone in 1953, Stadthalle Schmallenberg in Germany has been able to accommodate various events such as concerts, readings, shooting festivals (popular in that part of the country) and more, with up to 1500 participants per event. An extensive ...read more

Established almost four decades ago, event technology specialist WorldStage has built a reputation that is second to none. The company makes a practice of investing in equipment that matches its goal of supplying top of the line technology to its clients. With that in mind, ...read more

UK Loudspeaker manufacturer PMC, in conjunction with its Swiss distributor MGM Audio, is sponsoring The Sheer Pleasure of Sound - a three-day seminar and conference that focuses on recording and mixing music.
Scheduled to take place in Basel between May 3-5, 2019, this ...read more

DPA Microphones is making a big noise in the world of beatboxing by officially partnering with Swissbeatbox, the world’s largest Beatbox platform with over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers.
The award-winning d:facto™ Vocal Microphone will now be the official microphone at all ...read more